TWO Winsley retirement homes were placed under special measures this week by the Care Quality Commission following a shocking undercover investigation into the home in May.

Three separate homes at Avonpark Village, Winsley Hill, were inspected by the CQC a few weeks after a Mail on Sunday reporter found staff to be verbally abusing, mocking and neglecting elderly patients.

The CQC report labelled the Fountain Place Nursing Home and Hillcrest House Care Home 'inadequate' and Alexander Heights Care Home 'requires improvement'.

In both Fountain Place and Hillcrest House, which cares for up to 17 and 34 dementia sufferers respectively, inspectors gave inadequate grades to their quality of safe service, its effectiveness, its responsiveness and if it was well-led, with room for improvement in both its quality of care and its responsiveness.

In addition, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 procedures were not clear for staff to follow and records were not maintained to show the process followed by the staff to assess people's capacity and making best interest decisions.

Furthermore accidents and incidents were not recorded or monitored effectively, there was a high amount of agency staff that did not know the patients as well and there were breaches of regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 over staff supervision.

Alexander Heights, which cares for up to 28 patients, required improvements in the safety of the service, the effectiveness of it and the responsiveness of it. They were graded as inadequate for their service being well-led but their level of service care was good.

A spokesperson for the home said: "We are exceptionally disappointed by the outcome of the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, and have apologised unreservedly to residents and their loved ones.

"However it is important to note the inspection took place during a series of exceptional circumstances, and therefore the subsequent reports are relevant to that time but not reflective of the quality of care we are currently providing and will continue to provide.

"Nevertheless, we take all feedback from the CQC seriously, and have been working closely with our partners to make improvements.

A comprehensive action plan is in place, and we are investing significant time and resources into strengthening our training, safeguarding, documentation, medicine management and governance procedures.

“Significant progress has already been made, and this is supported by the positive informal feedback we are receiving from the Local Authority and NHS representative.

"This has already led to their agreement to begin relaxing the current embargo on admissions, opening the way for existing village residents to once again access respite and convalescent care on site.

"We are therefore confident that these reports are no longer reflective of the quality and effectiveness of the three services. We look forward to demonstrating to the CQC the positive progress we have made and the high quality, compassionate care we are providing."